Meals That Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at at Time

I cannot rave enough about this book. In the 8 weeks since I started on this plan I've lost 18 pounds, my reflux is gone, my headaches are gone, my mood and energy levels are significantly increased, I'm sleeping better AND my c-reactive protein (inflammatory marker - normal is less than one) has dropped from 6.1 to 1.7. The plan makes sense and is easier to do than any other one I've tried - eliminate slowly. Don't try to do it all at once! Yes, it's hard to stop eating gluten, dairy AND soy, but you can do it. Use the shopping list she includes. I have never felt healthier and I know I've got a long way to go with losing weight but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now.I especially say try the herbal teas. Be careful, though. Some of the descriptions of taste aren't exactly accurate. Burdock root? By itself tastes like boiled tree bark. But if you find an herb shop that mixes their own teas (there's a great one named Phoenix Herb) that include burdock but don't taste like it, you're golden.Seriously, buy this book. Follow it. Cook from it.Update: It's been 6 months. I've lost 57 pounds and have gone from a size 16 to a size 8. All of my inflammatory markers are now in the normal range. I am energetic and happy beyond words. I've been able to cut the dose of my chronic pain medication in half without a significant increase in my pain level. I'm hoping to go off of it altogether in another 3 months. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I just bought this book on Kindle a couple of weeks ago. I have read and re-read the first 5 chapters over and over and every time, I get something new regarding how the way I am currently eating (basically, badly. I eat whatever I want in whatever quantities I want, that's not good. And it's catching up with me) is a deposit into my future. I just feel dulled, numb, and I use food to entertain myself when I'm bored or watching tv. That's also not good. I don't want the most fun thing I do in life to be eating a new flavor of ice cream while watching a favorite program.Anyway, I am going to try Julie's 5-step program, which involves eliminating possible trigger foods (sugar, white flour, even bananas), adding in whole foods, then adding BACK in healthy possible trouble foods to see what might be causing inflammation in my body.I love that she discusses the emotional side of eating, and doesn't skim over it. It's the first time I've seen the emotional side of eating given the importance it deserves in a book on inflammation.I also like that the first 2 weeks of the plan are just for getting revved up, getting rid of anything in your home that might set you back and to get acquainted with the program. It's the right speed for me. Yes, it's a lot of work, but I feel like I'm finally ready for this kind of program.I'll be updating my experience here and plan to journal my progress.I'm so glad I found this book!

Personal

This is one of my go to cookbooks for healing. It is so full of great information about what causes inflammation and how to heal with food. I like that the recipes are free of gluten, refined sugar, dairy and are easy to make. The recipes are also 100% free of nightshades, so it makes it easy to follow Julie's plan for discovering and healing allergies.I especially love the Piccadilly Salad, Beet the Detox Salad, Roasted Fennel with Olives and Pesto Sweet Potato Mash (OMG, so good!). The mains are especially hearty and Julie does a great job giving vegan/vegetarian options (A Tale of Two Curries is a good example on page 312). But my favourite part is that Julie provides healing treats as part of her eating plan. From the Cinnamon Baked Apples to Key Lime Macaroons to the Avocado Key Lime Pie, this is a cookbook that will stand the test of time. I also bought and am loving her other books and they are equally excellent. It's hard to believe all the help found in her 3 books can be had for under $60. I have spent hundreds of dollars on other plans and practitioners without the results that I get from following Julie's recipes. I can't recommend her books and website highly enough. Thank you, Julie!

When I tell people what I've chosen to change about my diet I know they are skeptical. So I recommend this book. It offers excellent instruction as well as some of the science behind it in an easily "digestible" form. I found it to be easy to read and because it was telling me how to enhance and extend my quality of life I was ready to listen. Anyone with a condition that ends with "itis" as well as a number of other chronic inflammatory issues should take the time to at least read this. In just two weeks my inflammatory issue (respiratory in my case) improved significantly, and now, just a month later my overall health, disposition and stamina have improved so much that people actually ask me what I've been doing differently. Of course it's not just reading the book but it's an excellent guide on this journey.

My boyfriend has really bad arthritis in both his feet, and a little in his hands. Rather than have him put on all these dangerous drugs, I was trying to find an alternative with a more natural approach. Well ... I found it! We have been on this diet for about 3 weeks now and his pain has completely gone!! We are just crossing our fingers that it lasts. The information at the beginning of the book is very helpful, I learnt a lot about inflammation in general, and the recipes are really yummy!! The only thing is that it can get quite expensive, but we are trying to find ways to tweak it to suit our costs. Also, it is a lot of hard work at the start, but once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad, you can make a lot of the meals in bulk and freeze them, which makes it much easier and cheaper!! Definitely going to recommend this book to anyone having inflammation problems!!Lexi Dwyer :-)

I'm finding this a hard going read, its also not really what I was looking for, its heavily focused on irritable bowel syndrome whereas my problems are severe contact dermatitis and joint pain which are briefly touched upon. Its written in a chatty slightly waffly manner (Sorry!) and I don't know if I will ever finish it as I've been reading it for months but never become engaged enough to finish it.

I bought this book based on the reviews. I follow a sugar tree low carb diet with no sugar, bread, grains, potatoes, pasta or rice.... this includes quinoa. I thought this book would take me beyond what I'm already doing but unfortunately it is nowhere near as strict as I am already in eliminating anti inflammatory foods. I may pick up a few things but most of the recipes are a no go for me due to the carb content. Somewhat disappointed.

This fascinating book is based on research and physiological facts. It is written in a easy-to-read style and makes me want to know more. Julie Daniluk makes the argument for sensible eating a logical choice for anyone who is interested in healthy lifestyle.

really informative and easy to understand

if you have it you need this. Works well